Motorcycle lane-splitting rules unveiled

Monday

Apr 29, 2013 at 2:00 AM

SAN FRANCISCO — Motorcyclists who slide between cars on crowded Bay Area roads and zip to where they're going faster than everyone else — while infuriating more than a few drivers — now have the official blessing of the California Highway Patrol.

Will Kane

SAN FRANCISCO — Motorcyclists who slide between cars on crowded Bay Area roads and zip to where they're going faster than everyone else — while infuriating more than a few drivers — now have the official blessing of the California Highway Patrol.

The practice, called lane-splitting, has always been legal in California. But state authorities have never, until now, told motorcyclists how to weave the white line safely. California is the only state in the country where lane-splitting is legal.

"Really, it has been limited anarchy out there," said Sgt. Mark Pope, statewide motorcycle safety coordinator for the CHP. "Nobody has provided any guidance, so we decided it was time to figure that out."

The new rules, which the CHP introduced after consulting with other state agencies and motorcycle-rider groups, apply to city streets, highways and freeways across the state.

Bay Area motorcycle commuters said the rules sounded sane and sensible.

CHP officers have always had the legal authority to ticket motorcyclists who were driving dangerously fast, but the new rules are designed to provide specifics.

Some car drivers see lane-splitters as borderline cheaters cutting ahead of others, but the practice is actually safer for motorcyclists than politely staying in line in a lane.

Motorcyclists "are not trying to be obnoxious or rude" when they lane-split, Pope said. "They don't have air bags or crash cages, so they're trying to protect themselves. What we see more often than motorcyclists being involved in lane-splitting accidents is we see motorcyclists running into the backs of cars."